Mae’r fersiwn Gymraeg yn dilyn y Saesneg
Passion Sunday (29 March 2020)
Ezekiel 37:1-14, Romans 8:6-11 and John 11:1-45
I guess that most of us are more familiar with the New Testament than the Old Testament. The Old Testament was the Bible that Jesus knew. It is often called by scholars the Hebrew Bible.
This passage from Ezekiel is perhaps one of the most familiar from the Hebrew Bible. I cannot read without hearing the words of the spiritual, ‘dem dry bones’. It is an amazing passage. The prophet is taken to a valley of dry bones and asked to speak to the bones. On one level, we should be smiling, or laughing, as we visualise the scene. However, Ezekiel does exactly as he is asked. He prophesies. One of my friends, Gordon McConville, reminds us that ‘the coming of the breath or spirit into the bodies recalls the first human creation’ (Genesis 2:7). It is important to note that Scripture is interwoven, reacting with and sometimes against each other. I think we forget that sometimes, as we hear little parts read aloud in church. Indeed, if you are anything like me, I only hear a fragment of what is read. The Bible was written over a period of time, and each of those times is different to our own. The words of the scriptures should challenge and disturb us because of this, and because, as Christians, we believe God speaks in a particular way to us through these ancient words.
God, in this, passage is doing something new. I wonder what new things God might be doing for you and for me. In these days of semi lock-down, I am learning again how to pray. I have spent more time praying over the last few days than I have done for a long time. this is probably because I have been forced to stop. What are you learning? I have asked us to pray together, but apart, every day at 12 Noon, and produced a simple prayer through the day leaflet. I can encourage you to use it and make time to stop.
Why does the prophet speak to the bones? He does so because he, firstly hears the word of the Lord (that song again), and secondly he has hope that God can act. I sometimes think we have forgotten that God acts. The people of God had been carried away into Exile and separated from the holy place in Jerusalem. By the rivers of Babylon, they had sat down and wept (another song). The prophet speaks to the bones because God brings new life in places where we think it is impossible.
Then picture another scene. Jesus is stood at the tomb of his friend, Lazarus. Mary and Martha are there. They are sisters of the dead man. Jesus is filled with tears. It is a place of absolute hopelessness. Or is it? Jesus asks that the tomb be rolled away. What is he doing? He speaks to Lazarus’s dry bones, ‘Lazarus, Come out!’ Visualise, if you would, the darkness of the tomb.
My eyes blink and blink again at the brightness, and I find myself staring into his eyes. It is Jesus. His eyes look like they are on fire. He smiles and laughs. ‘Untie him’ – he commands.
Untie me? I begin to remember. Mary and Martha fall upon me. I am not as strong as I was, as the three of us tumble on to the floor as if we were children. Jesus lifts me up. ‘Thank you’. He smiles back at me with a smile that suggests that he had done something easy, as if a greater battle lies ahead.
God, in Jesus, does the impossible.
I find it significant that it is Martha who meets Jesus and declares that she believes him to be the Messiah. Earlier, when Mary had been sat at Jesus’ feet, Martha had hurried around in her busyness. Here in this passage, Martha must stop. She must listen.
So many of us have run around trying to keep church structures and buildings going. Now, we are being forced to stop. Like me, perhaps all of us need to learn that it is time to pray. Prayer is not passive, but active. It involves listening and then acting on what God is saying.
I wonder whether like Ezekiel, we might speak to the dry bones.
Questions
- Why do you think Jesus did not go to Lazarus at first?
- What are you learning at this time?
Activity
Phone someone from a different church within our Ministry Area
Sul y Mamau (29 Mawrth 2020)
Ezekiel 37:1-14, Romans 8:6-11 and Ioan 11:1-45
Rwy’n dyfalu bod y mwyafrif ohonom yn fwy cyfarwydd â’r Testament Newydd na’r Hen Destament. Yr Hen Destament oedd y Beibl roedd Iesu’n ei wybod. Fe’i gelwir yn aml gan ysgolheigion y yr Beibl Hebraeg.
Efallai bod y darn hwn o Eseciel yn un o’r rhai mwyaf cyfarwydd o’r Beibl Hebraeg. Ni allaf ddarllen heb glywed geiriau’r ysbrydol, ‘dem dry bones’. Mae’n ddarn anhygoel. Aed â’r proffwyd i ddyffryn o esgyrn sych a gofynnir iddo siarad â’r esgyrn. Ar un lefel, dylem fod yn gwenu, neu’n chwerthin, wrth inni ddelweddu’r olygfa. Fodd bynnag, mae Eseciel yn gwneud yn union fel y gofynnir iddo. Mae’n proffwydo. Mae un o fy ffrindiau, Gordon McConville, yn ein hatgoffa bod ‘dyfodiad yr anadl neu’r ysbryd i’r cyrff yn dwyn i gof y greadigaeth ddynol gyntaf’ (Genesis 2: 7). Mae’n bwysig nodi bod yr Ysgrythur yn cydblethu, yn ymateb gyda’i gilydd ac weithiau yn erbyn ei gilydd. Rwy’n credu ein bod ni’n anghofio hynny weithiau, wrth i ni glywed rhannau bach yn cael eu darllen yn uchel yn yr eglwys. Yn wir, os ydych chi’n unrhyw beth fel fi, dim ond darn o’r hyn sy’n cael ei ddarllen y clywaf i. Ysgrifennwyd y Beibl dros gyfnod o amser, ac mae pob un o’r amseroedd hynny yn wahanol i’n rhai ni. Dylai geiriau’r ysgrythurau ein herio ac aflonyddu arnom oherwydd hyn, ac oherwydd, fel Cristnogion, credwn fod Duw yn siarad mewn ffordd benodol â ni drwy’r geiriau hynafol hyn.
Mae Duw, yn hyn o beth, yn gwneud rhywbeth newydd. Tybed pa bethau newydd y gallai Duw fod yn eu gwneud i chi ac i mi. Yn y dyddiau hyn o hanner cloi i lawr, rydw i’n dysgu eto sut i weddïo. Dw i’nwedi treulio mwy o amser yn gweddïo dros yr ychydig ddyddiau diwethaf nag yr wyf wedi’i wneud ers amser maith. mae’n debyg bod hyn oherwydd fy mod wedi cael fy ngorfodi i stopio. Beth ydych chi’n ei ddysgu? Dw i’n wedi gofyn chi inni weddïo gyda’n gilydd, ond ar wahân, bob dydd am hanner dydd, a wedi chynhyrchu gweddi syml trwy’r daflen ddydd. Gallaf eich annog i’w ddefnyddio a gwneud amser i stopio.
Pam mae’r proffwyd yn siarad â’r esgyrn? Mae’n gwneud hynny oherwydd ei fod, yn gyntaf yn clywed gair yr Arglwydd (y gân honno eto), ac yn ail mae ganddo obaith y gall Duw weithredu. Dw i’n meddwl weithiau ein bod wedi anghofio bod Duw yn gwaith. Roedd pobl Dduw wedi cael eu cludo i ffwrdd i Alltud ac wedi gwahanu o’r lle sanctaidd yn Jerwsalem. Wrth afonydd Babilon, roeddent wedi eistedd i lawr ac wylo (cân arall). Mae’r proffwyd yn siarad â’r esgyrn oherwydd bod Duw yn dod â bywyd newydd mewn lleoedd lle rydyn ni’n meddwl ei fod yn amhosib.
Yna lluniwch olygfa arall. Saif Iesu wrth feddrod ei ffrind, Lasarus. Mae Mary a Martha yno. Maen nhw’n chwiorydd i’r dyn marw. Mae Iesu’n llawn dagrau. Mae’n lle o anobaith llwyr. Neu ydy e? Mae Iesu’n gofyn i’r beddrod gael ei rolio i ffwrdd. Pam mae’n ei wneud? Mae’n siarad ag esgyrn sych Lasarus, ‘Lasarus, Dewch allan!’ Delweddwch, os byddech chi, dywyllwch y beddrod.
I spluttered once, and then twice. The dryness of my throat was apparent, and then the stench. Stench? Stench of what? Where am I as my eyes moistened and adjusted. I am dry. It is dark, as I feel for the first-time clothing bandaged around me. But what is it? I remember my sisters wrapping me in linen when we children. But where I am I now? It stinks… and I remember. Is this it? Darkness, but wait resonating I hear a voice. ‘Lazarus’. Lazarus – that is me. I am being called. I see a chink of light. ‘Come out – the voice calls. It is him – Jesus. I struggle to move; what are these things. I hobble towards the light. Slowly, my legs are bandaged – and weak; they seem like I have not used them for ages. ‘Lazarus, Come out!’. My ears seem to retune to the call. I have been unwell. Is this dying? I struggle towards the light. A hand touches my own and pulls me further into the light.
My eyes blink and blink again at the brightness, and I find myself staring into his eyes. It is Jesus. His eyes look like they are on fire. He smiles and laughs. ‘Untie him’ – he commands.
Untie me? I begin to remember. Mary and Martha fall upon me. I am not as strong as I was, as the three of us tumble on to the floor as if we were children. Jesus lifts me up. ‘Thank you’. He smiles back at me with a smile that suggests that he had done something easy, as if a greater battle lies ahead.
Mae Duw, yn Iesu, yn gwneud yr amhosib.
Rwy’n ei chael hi’n arwyddocaol mai Martha sy’n cwrdd â Iesu ac yn datgan ei bod yn credu mai ef yw’r Meseia. Yn gynharach, pan oedd Mair wedi eistedd wrth draed Iesu ’, roedd Martha wedi brysio o gwmpas yn ei phrysurdeb. Yma yn y darn hwn, rhaid i Martha stopio. Rhaid iddi wrando.
Mae cymaint ohonom wedi rhedeg o gwmpas yn ceisio cadw strwythurau ac adeiladau eglwysig i fynd. Nawr, rydyn ni’n cael ein gorfodi i stopio. Fel fi, efallai bod angen i bob un ohonom ddysgu ei bod yn bryd gweddïo. Nid yw gweddi yn oddefol, ond yn weithredol. Mae’n cynnwys gwrando ac yna gweithredu ar yr hyn mae Duw yn ei ddweud.
Tybed ai fel Eseciel, efallai y byddwn yn siarad â’r esgyrn sych.
Cwestiynau i feddwl amdanynt
1. Pam ydych chi’n meddwl na aeth Iesu i Lasarus ar y dechrau?
2. Beth ydych chi’n ei ddysgu ar hyn o bryd?
Gweithgaredd
Ffoniwch rywun o eglwys wahanol yn Ardal ein Gweinidogaeth
Gweddi
Gweddïwch dros ein gweithwyr proffesiynol gofal iechyd
lurchersontheedge 